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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Hope you’re enjoying this last bit of sublime weather, before we usher in the rain and capitalism goes full Pumpkin Spice on us. Today, you can expect some clouds, with a high of 72 and a low of 55.

In Local News: 

  • Nurses at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) voted to authorize a strike Monday. The date of a potential strike hasn’t been set or confirmed, but unless union negotiations on behalf of the organization’s 3,100 nurses see progress, the nurses could at any point give 10-day notice of a strike.
  • As OHSU nurses are likely to strike, so are workers at Kaiser Permanente, who voted to authorize a strike and stop work as contract negotiations over better pay and staffing appear to be falling apart.

  • Speaking of strikes, last week, hundreds of teens skipped school and marched in the streets of downtown Portland for the latest youth-led climate strike. The march saw people of all ages marching alongside Portland youths to demand change from elected leaders. This time, climate strike leaders asked Gov. Tina Kotek to declare a climate emergency, in an effort to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions. Across the world, young people are rising up and in some cases, successfully suing their local government, arguing current leaders aren’t doing enough to protect their right to a sustainable future.

  • While Portland may be getting hotter, as is the rest of the planet, it hasn’t burned down, contrary to the remarks of a Florida man who previously lived in the White House. In a recent interview, former President Donald Trump asserted Portland is a "burned down hulk of a city"  in what can only be assumed was a lapse in memory or an unhealthy diet of too much Jason Aldean and Fox News. The comments were in response to questions about whether Trump would pardon rioters convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 capitol attacks–including Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio–if elected again. 

In National/World News:

  • Hunter Biden is suing the IRS. The president’s son, who is ensnared in a long federal investigation into tax evasion and a gun charge, alleges two whistleblower IRS agents improperly disclosed personal information about him. The IRS agents spoke publicly, alleging Biden tried to interfere in a tax probe case against him. Biden says they went too far in what they publicly disclosed about his personal taxes. 
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit the U.S. again this week, as Congress is being asked by President Biden to approve an additional $24 billion in aid for Ukraine, as part of a larger $40 billion spending package that is all but guaranteed to face opposition. As NPR reports, Zelensky has an ally in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who argues the U.S. has a unique opportunity to water down one of America’s adversaries “without firing a shot” by helping Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
  • In other Russia news, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been jailed in Russia since March, will likely remain detained in the country, after a court failed to immediately rule on an appeal Tuesday. Evan Gershkovich was sent to Russia on a reporting assignment, but was detained and jailed on espionage charges, after security leaders alleged Gershkovich was trying to collect state secrets about its military operations. The Wall Street Journal and a United States ambassador to Russia deny the allegations.  
  • Canada’s ties with India haven’t been great, the BBC News reports, but things got worse recently when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India’s government may have been behind the death of prominent Sikh separatist movement leader and Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In the fallout over Trudeau’s comments, India has expelled a Canadian diplomat from its country.